A Lefever 12 ga. boxlock extractor has shown up in a local pawn shop where I have picked up a number of guns over the years. I'm sure it's not a Nitro Special; it has the massive "humpback" cocking lever like real Lefevers. Barrels are marked Ithaca, N.Y. and preliminary research indicates it's a gun made by Ithaca from leftover Lefever parts when Ithaca bought out Uncle Dan. The last of these guns are said to have been sold in 1921 or so.
Yes, the gun has problems. There are fairly large chips of wood missing from either side of the tang, and she's a little loose. Metal finish is really quite good and the bores are unmarked.
The buttstock is unusual in that it has a modified Monte Carlo style comb which fits me to a T. Somebody stuck a nicely done Pachmayr pad on it, but I can't tell if the butt stock is original to the gun or added later to deal with the excessive drop one encounters in old Americano doubles.
Pirate price for the gun is $395.00, but I can always buy guns from this pawn man for less. Some questions:
Can anyone ID this gun for me?
Can anyone make an informed estimate of the cost of fixing it to make it a shooter?
What's it worth in its present condition?
I know almost nothing about Lefevers, so any help will be apprecited.